What type of aggression is mugging?

The actions of a contract killer who murders for payment serve as a clear example of instrumental aggression. The primary motive is financial gain (achieving a goal), not an emotional desire to inflict pain on the victim.

Example of Instrumental Aggression: Contract Killer

Instrumental aggression is a form of harm-doing that is motivated by the desire to achieve a specific goal, where causing pain is not the primary objective. The aggressive act serves as a tool or instrument to obtain something else, such as money, resources, or status.

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Based on the underlying motivation, human aggression can be categorized into two primary forms: hostile and instrumental. This distinction hinges on whether the aggression is driven by emotional anger with the intent to cause pain (hostile) or by the pursuit of a separate goal (instrumental).

Types of Aggression Based on Motive

Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., &amp; Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social psychology. W. w. Norton &amp; Company. 

Social Psychology

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Instrumental Aggression

Hostile aggression refers to aggression to emotionally or physically harm someone, with anger as the motivation to do so, such as getting into a fight with a stranger. 

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